Written
May 17, 2010
No, I didn’t
watch it, wallah. Although, I can’t help recognizing the
recent Miss USA Pageant as being relevant to the current
political landscape.
There's two
foolish ways one can respond to this recent win.
1. To create unnecessary ruckus about this from the
"religious" front (ie. the one that spun off that ridiculous
Boobquake et al campaign), thus, creating some sort of
"freedom fighter" out of someone who is otherwise an
insignificant figure. While one can have a personal opinion
on this matter, of course, state it responsibly. Nothing
frustrates the vanguards of emo-pseudo-feminist arguments
more than a well thought out analysis by intelligent Muslim
men and women (ala Ingrid Mattson or Dalia Mogahed). Stating
that doing things like this result in earthquakes is a
logical fallacy that does nothing to help within political
discourse.
2. To tout this as a triumph for the Arab and Muslim
community because it challenges supposed "stereotypes".
While it might be encouraging for some people (ie. the
liberal circle of the Muslim community), it definitely isn't
for many. To assert that this is the "real face of Arab
Americans" is completely ridiculous. I guess a veiled one is
a fake one?
There is an odd
familiarity with the obsession to couch this win within
religious terms. It's definitely another example of this
orientalist approach that extends further into other, more
serious, realms of discussion (ie. the war on terror). When
one commits a crime or act of terror, there is an obsession
to put a religious light on it. Likewise, you will find
Muslims and non-Muslims responding just as foolishly to it.
Becoming unwitting participants in a similar orientalist
thinking: "Yes, Muslims are more susceptible to extremism
online as opposed to some random white kid who is not easily
susceptible to a similar radicalization process if he/she
comes across Nazi Skinhead propaganda." Therefore, they
come tumbling towards a slippery slope, citing only
religious interpretation as the root of terrorism. In the
end, doing nothing but fearmongering based on spurious
grounds.
In light of all
this, is it surprising at all that Richard Fadden, director
of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, has recently
embarked on a vague fearmongering campaign in which he cites
that CSIS is watching over 200 Canadians? A campaign that
has resulted in comments that mention well-integrated Muslim
Canadians as being susceptible to dangerous ideas and causes
– particularly, the ideas of supposed “firebrand Imams” that
we find online and in our local mosques. You know, the ones
that do not necessarily fit the media friendly Muslim models
of Hamza Yusuf or Tariq Ramadan. I guess, the ones that take
a bit more time to get used to? Of course, taking their
claim at face value, there is no mention whatsoever about
the possibility that the atmosphere that CSIS is creating in
Canada has anything to do with the increasing disenchantment
of these 200 something would-be terrorists. I guess it's far
too inconvenient to cite such things when you're seeking to
justify your government funding.
Yes, Miss USA is
relevant. Not because many believe she’s hot. People can
engage in that “valuable” discussion elsewhere if they’d
like. Perhaps a discussion on whether or not Bin Laden is
hot would interest them as well. That contest is relevant
because the approaches to Miss USA’s win sadly mirrors the
state of the ‘War On Terror’ being waged in North America.
Cocaine is one hell of a drug. Rawwrrr.
For more
information, please view "Are You A Muslim Bad Boy? (The
Musical)" video
here.
